CAQM invokes GRAP-2 in Delhi-NCR as air quality hits very poor category
The Commission for Air Quality Management implemented stage two emergency measures after the Air Quality Index reached 324 on November 2.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday implemented Stage 2 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect. According to The New Indian Express, the decision follows the air quality slipping into the 'very poor' category for the first time this season.
The CAQM stated that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi rose from 117 on October 31 to 261 on November 1, reaching 324 on November 2. The commission attributed this sharp increase to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology have predicted that Delhi's air quality will likely stay in the 'very poor' category in the coming days. Scroll reported that the Sameer application from the Central Pollution Control Board showed an average AQI of 307 in the capital as of 7:05 am on Monday.
GRAP is a system of emergency steps triggered at specific pollution thresholds. Stage 1 is activated when the AQI is between 201 and 300, while Stage 2 is used for levels between 301 and 400. Stage 3 applies to AQI levels between 401 and 500, and Stage 4 is for levels exceeding 450.
In September, the CAQM updated the framework to extend restrictions on certain light motor vehicles, such as BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel models, to Sonipat in Haryana under GRAP-3. Previously, these rules only applied to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.